Lewis collee



L. GOLLER.

FIRE ESCAPE.

v Patented Dec. 19, 1882.

Wahingfon, D. Q

' (No Model.)

$14 m I A 'i aw 5' U D STATE S1 PATENT FFICEQ LEWIS COLLER, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,180, dated December 19, 1882.

Application filed September ll, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, LEWIS OOLLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flint, in the county of Genesee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is in'the nature of improve 'ments in the clutch mechanism for releasing and stopping the basket or conveyor, and in the frame-work, and means for and mode of working the fire-escape shown and described in my Letters Patent of the United States No. 261,584, dated July 25, 1882.

. The invention consists in a fire-escape having a shaft with rope-drums thereon for carrying one or more baskets or conveyors, combined with a clutch mechanism keyed on said shaft, composed of an incased friction-wheel or pulley provided with clutching-arms to hold said pulley against rotation, and with a re leasing device arranged with relation to the.

wheel and. the arms, and operated by a rope within reach of the occupant of the conveyer to release the arms and permit a free rotation of the wheel and its shaft to lower the con- Veyer, said wheel, however, being under control of the releasing device by the frictional contact of the latter therewith to govern the rapidity of revolution of the shaft and wheel, and consequently the velocity of descent of the conveyor.

The invention further consists in supporting the shaft, drums, and clutch mechanism thereon in a frame-work constructed with means for permitting its application to any avenue of escape froma burning building, all as hereim after specifically set forth and claimed.

1 In the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my fire-escape in position for use. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus with the ropes and basket removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the clutch mechanism with one side of its casing removed and shown to the left in inside face view, and Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of the clutch mechanism on a large scale. I

I A is a shaft arranged to be rotated in a framing composed of the parts 0 and E E, the part apparatus. The said shaft may be tubular for lightness sake. Two (more or less) pairs of heads, B B, are secured to shaft A to constitute rope drums or spools, on which the ropes R It may be so wound as that one such rope will be unwinding as the other is being wound up. These ropes receive and sustain baskets or other couveyers S, say, for illustration, such as shown in my patent before named. Where two baskets are employed one such basket will be ascending while the other is descending in use, the latter forming the power for raising the former, thus facilitating and expediting the escape of persons from a burning building. All ofthe drums of a shaft may be under the control of a single clutch mechanism; or each drum may have an independent clutch mechanism applied, say, to one of its heads, so as to admit of its separate operation.

The improved clutch mechanism herein shown and described I have invented with special reference to the facilitating the starting, controlling, and stopping of the basket orconveyer in its descent or ascent. The casing is com osed of disks 1.1 and a connectin rini,

F, and pins or bolts I, through which disks the shaft A passes, and within this casing, keyed upon the shaft so as to rotate with it, is a wheel or pulley, Gr, having two or more internal lugs or teeth, N.

H is a strap, preferably of spring-steel, secured to one of the bolts or pins 1?, and nearly encircling the rim of the wheel G, and finally extending outside the casing through a slot therein where an operatin gcord, Q, is attached 1 to it. The strap H is held from lateral displacement in the casingby guide-flanges or clips 0, secured to the inner face of the rim F.

K K are strong springs bolted to the inner faces of the disks ll, and hearing clutchblocks L. (See details, Fig. 3.) These clutchblocks L are notched to tit or embrace the opposite edges of the rim of the wheel or pulley G in such manner and to such extent as that as the wheel revolves one of the lugs or teeth N will abut against said blocks to stop the rotation of the wheel.

In order to give the blocks plenty of play and to re-enforee their holding-sp'rin gs K, I ar- (3 having hooks D as means forsuspeudingthe range them-in slots in the casing.v (See Figs. 2 and 4.) TheblocksLL are disengaged from the lug N by being moved laterally from the wheel by the drawing of the strap H toward the wheel, the edges of said strap coming in contact with beveled ends of the blocks and forcing said blocks away from each other and from the wheel, so as to permit the wheel to rotate. Now, as the strap comes in contact with the rim of the wheel after the disengagement of the blocks and wheel, tension may be applied to said strap to increase or diminish the friction between it and the wheel, to thereby retard (more or less) the rapidity of rotation of the wheel and shaft, and consequently govern the velocity of the descending basket or conveyer. This frictional contact of the strap upon the wheel is exerted through the hand-' rope Q, which may extend through the basket or conveyer, so as to be in reach of the occupant for his control; or it may extend through the basket or otherwise to the ground, so as to be operable by the fireman or other authorized person. The greater the pull on the rope the moreexcessive will be the frictional contactof the strap upon the wheel, and consequently the slower the revolution of the shaft'and the less rapid the descent of theconveyer.

As soon as the rope Q is free the spring-strap draws away from the wheel and the blocks 'L automatically resume their connection with one of the lugs N. One is thus enabled to regulate with great nicety the rapidity of the fall of the basket; and this fact constitutes one of the special and chief advantages of my apparatus.

The strap H may be of any suitable material that will contact frictionally with the wheel, andI do not limit the application of my invention to any one kind of strap.

The clutch mechanism may be provided with a re-enforce, M, of metal or other suitable material, to receive the frame-work C.

Now, my invention being constructed substantially as above described, it is used by engaging the sash-frame or other part ofa window or other opening in a building with the hooks D, whereby the apparatus is suspended for use. A person may jump into the thus suspended conveyer, but it will not start untiltheclutch mechanism has been positively released by the operation of the rope Q, and, as just described, the velocity of the descent of the basket is controlled by the tension applied to said rope. other, where two are used, descends, and if only one clutch mechanism be used it will control the movementof both simultaneously.

The frame, as herein shown, is made of rod metal bent to shape, and while I regard this as an excellent constructioncheap, durable, and light-I do not limit my invention thereto.

Instead of booking the apparatus -to or in a window, I may employ a rod or rail around a building, from which the apparatus may be suspended and moved from place to place, as

As one basket ascends theshaft and drums and device to be raised and lowered to a fire-escape, as said combination is of much more general utility.

It will be understood that my fire-escape is portable; but it is quite obvious that it can readily be made a fixture at or in any desirable locality or place in a building.

The rimF-is preferably struck up or otherwise formed in one piece with the disk I. I have shown butone lug N; but it is obvious E E 0f the frame-work, made substantiallyas shown, serve as guides to prevent the ropes running off the spools in winding up.

What I claim is-- 1. A fire'escape having a shaftwith a rop.e--

drum thereon for carrying a basket or conveyer, combined with afriction-wheel or-pulley keyed on said shaft, provided with lateral clutching-blocks to engage lugs on said pulley to hold said pulley against rotation, and with a releasing device and means to operate it to disengage said blocks from the pulleyto permit the rotation of the pulley subject tothe retarding incident to the degree of tension applied by the said releasing device upon the rim of the pulley, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the shaft, ropedrums, ropes, and conveyers, of a clutching mechanism composed of a wheel keyed tov the shaft, and automatically and normally locked by the engagement of clutching-blocks with lugs on its rim to prevent the rotation of the shaft and drums, and a friction-stop to release said wheel to permit the rotation ofit and the the purpose described.

3. The clutching mechanism herein shown and described, composed of a friction-wheel,

Gr, keyed to the shaftA to be operated, clutch blocks L L to grasp said wheel to hold itagainst rotation, a strap, H, to releasesaid wheel from said blocks to permit it to rotate under a frictionally-restrictive action of said strap, and a casing, I I F, for the whole, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

4. The shaft A and drums and ropes thereon, conveyers attached to said ropes, frictionwheel Gr. keyed to said shaft and provided with" a lug, N, clutch-blocks L. normally engaging said lug, a friction-strap, H, for releasingsaid blocksfrom engagement with thelug,and aropeor cord to operate said strap, and after cans in g it to release the wheel to impart a retarding egfect to the wheel by virtue of frictional.

that two or more may be em ployed. The parts II I0 shaft and drums under the restriction ofthe frictional contact of said releasing means upon the rim of the wheel, substantially as and for IIS operation of the shaft, the whole constituting a portable fire-escape, substantially as shown and described. a

In, testimony whereof I have hereunto set 15 my hand this 8th day of September, A. D. 1882.

LEWIS OOLLER.

WVitnesses J OHN ALGOE, JARED VAN VLEE'I. 

